The Blood of Dawnwalker Review

Rebel Wolves' new action RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker, is a vampire adventure starring a 14th-century peasant named Coen. The game features a distinct day and night cycle, with Coen being human by day and a powerful vampire by night. For fans tracking the studio's progress, you can check their latest squad updates.

According to a review on Rock Paper Shotgun, the game's design philosophy is heavily reminiscent of CD Projekt's Witcher series. The reviewer states that if you told someone it was a Witcher spin-off called The Witcher: Blood of Dawnwalker, you'd have no trouble convincing them.

Gameplay and Combat

The game splits into day and night cycles, each made up of six segments of time. These segments tick away when you complete quests or activities. Some activities are only available during specific times. Players can monitor their progress through the game's detailed stats page.

Combat changes dramatically between forms. At night, Coen moves like a supernatural force, warping around foes in a blood-fuelled power fantasy. The reviewer notes the peril of being overwhelmed by a craving for blood mid-conversation, either by choice or when health is low. However, they found it easy to avoid accidentally draining friendly NPCs by feeding on animals and handling conversations during the day.

Daytime combat is more rigid. Human Coen fights with a single sword, relying on dodges and directional parries. The reviewer, who admits timed parrying is a weakness, found this style challenging, especially against groups. Coen's human dodge can feel ineffective on uneven terrain. Earning perks, like passive health regeneration in human form, helps significantly.

Vampire abilities and witchcraft skills offer strategic depth. For example, the Burning Blood ability passively damages foes. Managing resources is key: human form requires food and salves for healing, while vampire form regenerates health automatically and can heal by feeding on enemies mid-fight.

Characters and Narrative

Coen starts as a seemingly generic farmboy but reveals serious depth. His family is kidnapped by the vampire ruler Brencis at the story's outset, providing his core motivation. His relationships with them are complex, allowing players to choose whether to save them or embrace his new vampiric freedom.

The game features several key allies. Anca, a healer from Coen's village, harbors dark secrets and their relationship evolves between teacher and lover. Lacra is a headstrong vampiress with her own motives and a sharp tongue. Factions like the Manumits, human rebels distrustful of Coen, also offer potential alliances.

A Witcher-esque, world-weary cynicism permeates the world. The reviewer notes that everyone's out for themselves and won't just bow before the hero, who more often than not is trying to choose a lesser evil. Yet, this never leads to a lack of investment in the world or its characters.

World and Structure

The adventure adopts an open-world design. Coen has a 30-day time limit to save his family from Brencis, who is holed up in Svartrau castle. Other regions are ruled by his three vampiric underlings: Boyars Ambrus, Xanthe, and a third not named in the source. The world features climbable towers that reveal nearby landmarks.

Outside of combat, the game includes a detective-style focus mode that highlights investigable objects in yellow, similar to Witcher senses. One magical ability allows Coen to briefly reanimate corpses to interrogate them, much like Yennefer does in that Witcher 3 quest about the cursed garden in Skellige. For more on the game's world and challenges, visit the fixtures section.

The reviewer was surprised by how much they came to appreciate Coen. They concluded that for a game leaving ally choices up to the player, Coen ends up with several he plays off of brilliantly.